Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Recently I read Quitter by Jon Acuff. As the subtitle suggests, Quitter is about helping you to jump from your day job to your dream job without killing your dream and your current funding in one fell swoop!

I admit that I first picked this book up not because I was interested in quitting my day job but because I had heard it so highly endorsed by Dave Ramsey. However, as I began to read Jon's personal story and his guidelines for making the transition between your day job and your dream job as smooth as possible I got hooked! Jon uses his own personal stories and experiences as a blogger turned writer and speaker to enliven his book and to breathe life and humor into what he is trying to tell you. But the core of the principle can be applied to any field or dream.

The part of the book that really had the greatest impact on me was when he said NOT to quit your day job. I know it's a shocker that the author of the book Quitter would write a chapter about NOT quitting your current job but it's true. I had never really considered that my day job could actually help my dream grow, but now I think that it totally can. You'll have to read the book to find out how Jon convinced me but believe me it's in there.

I highly recommend Quitter to anyone who has always had a bigger dream for their life than what they are currently living. Quitter will teach you practical steps to help make your dream become a reality.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

My life has been changing a lot lately. A year ago, we moved. Six month ago, I got a new full-time job. One month ago, We found out the date for Jimmy's Surgery. In a few days, one of my little sisters will be married!

All this change has got me thinking...Am I really doing/accomplishing the things that I want to in my life?

I believe that the answer is that I am on the right track. I love art--always have and always will. I never really considered it as a career choice until a few years ago. So my career is in a totally different field and I have missed out on years of honing my abilities but I am not going to let that stop me!

Instead I have decided to pursue the dream! I am setting tangible goals to help me move in the right direction. I know that accomplishing these goals will only make my dream stronger and more sustainable. I am seeking the advice of friends and family members, and I am spending time in Bible Study and prayer about my future. It's great to know that I am not in this alone!

One of the best things is that God can use graphic design and web design to bring people to himself--so I am still doing missions! There is a day that I could see a healthier, slimmer Jimmy and a more practiced Christiana moving to another country to be an event coordinator and a designer but also be working as missionaries to spread the gospel to a country that is normally closed.

When you are pursuing God's dream for your life then your possibilities are endless!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Hey, everyone! Sorry that it has been a while since I posted on here. The great news is that I have things that I will be sharing with you very soon!

Today I wanted to let you know that I have been behind here because I have been working really hard to establish Jimmy Goes Gastric, which is a blog about my husband's upcoming weight loss surgery. It is really exciting to finally be able to share with everyone what has been going on in our lives since last November or so. If you are interested in hearing about it then I encourage you to check it out.

Now that things are rolling over there I hope to be back to writing here more. That would be really great! I do know that I will have another book review for you by the end of the month as well as a few other things that I have rolling around in my brain right now.

All in all, thanks for your patience and thanks for reading all my nonsense here at Life as a Minister's Wife!

Monday, October 1, 2012

"ALTARED: The true story of a SHE, a HE, and how they both got too worked up on about the WE" is non-traditional look at marriage in the Christian culture. The authors, Claire and Eli, willingly admit to their audience that this book is "raw" and based heavily on their own personal experiences. It is their look into the Christian view of marriage from their own personal perspectives.

If you were expecting this to be anything like a traditional Christian book on dating and marriage then I encourage you to never EVER read this book because it is in NO WAY a traditional view on marriage! In some ways the authors seem to look down upon and belittle the traditional standards of Christian dating and marriage. As you may have guessed from the title one of their major issues with the traditional viewpoint is the amount of emphasis that is placed on dating and marriage in the church. It goes to the point that it is almost past observation and into the realm of being blatantly offensive.

This book does challenge you to look at things in a way most Christians aren't normally challenged to but I would never recommend this book to someone who already struggles with the ideas of dating and marriage. Make no mistake that I agree that too much emphasis is placed on the fact that many Christians and churches seem to believe that all Christians have to get married, but that doesn't belittle the importance of marriage. There are times that I felt it was marriage--rather than the over focusing on marriage--that was questioned, but that's just my opinion.

However, Altared is a good reminder to churches and church staffs that you don't have to be married to be an effective Christian or an effective minister. I believe that was part of the original intent of this book and for that I applaud them. I simply ask that they present their case in a way that I feel more of an equal and less talked down to.

You can try Altared for yourself by reading Chapter One.
This book was provided to me free of cost for review purposes by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing.

About Life as a Minister's Wife

Life as a Minister's Wife is about my day to day thoughts, struggles, and joy as I serve seek to follow God's will for my life. I'm not perfect and I struggle too. I share the good, bad, and the ugly of being a Christian and working in the ministry here in Life as a Minister's Wife.

Life, love, and ministry. It's what being a minister's wife is all about!